Agents working in a contact center may handle incoming or outgoing communications, such as voice calls, texts, or web chats with remote parties for a variety of applications. Agents handling these communications are often located in a contact center workplace, such as in a cubicle in the contact center. In other embodiments, agents may work remotely, including from a home office in their residence.
Contact center agents are typically scheduled to work in shifts and each work shift typically includes one or more breaks. Depending on the length of the work shift, the agent may be provided two rest breaks and a lunch break, during which they are not handling communications. There are other instances when an agent is not handling any communications from remote parties. For example, when an agent completes handling a communication, such as a voice call, the agent may be involved in “after call work” activities during which no further communications are offered to the agent. After call work time may include activities associated with resolving or completing the purpose of the call. To the extent that a “break” is defined as being unavailable for handling communications, after call work time can be considered as a break.
Typically, certain types of breaks are scheduled for set times, and agents only have limited control of their scheduled break times. Noncompliance with the scheduled break time frequently is due to the agent failing to begin the break at the scheduled time, or returning from a break later than the scheduled time. An agent taking too long of a break, or too many breaks, results in lower productivity for the contact center.
In some cases, it may be difficult to determine that the agent is engaging in inappropriate break-related behavior. For example, an agent involved in an after call work break may take some additional time for personal activities before making themself ready to accept the next call. Since the agent is typically paid based on the assumption that they will only take the allotted times for breaks, agents taking more break time than allowed are working less than the time they are being paid.
Addressing this issue requires a comprehensive tool that is easy to use and that controls how break requests from agents are processed. Agents abusing a break policy in a contact center should be informed when their performance is in non-compliance and should be informed when they are not being paid for such time. It is with respect to these considerations and others that the disclosure herein is presented.